Dambusting a Geosynthetic-Backed Dam

When filmmaker Hugh Hunt began production on the documentary “Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb,” he sought a dramatic form of authenticity to understanding the 1943 RAF attack on dams in Germany’s military industry-heavy Ruhr Valley. The raid utilized the unique “bouncing bomb,” most of the technical aspects of which were lost in a 1960s flood. Hunt sought a construction site with water access on which he could construct a concrete dam–one he could subsequently blow up in a simulated attack. The dam was constructed of concrete lock block on an excavated site in Mackenzie, British Columbia with the help of BC Hyrdo. A geotextile backing on the dam helped stabilized the quick construction.